Easy Come, Easy Go
by Fluffy's Lady
Summary: A collection of Arrietty shorts ranging from HEA to tragic endings. Ch 3 "Pick Me Up Gently: Alternate Verse"
1. Let Me Down Easy

**Let Me Down Easy**

**An Arrietty Short**

* * *

Her long, brown hair fell against his shoulders when his large hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. Her smile was soft, yet bright. She watched him intensely, her grey eyes focused on his brown ones. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She blushed and laughed. His lips slanted across hers.

The kiss was hungry, ravenous. Their gentle hands turned into grasping fingers, desperately searching for something solid in the midst of their amorous motions. She whispered over and over again, the sound heated and rushed. When her legs gave out, he easily picked her up. Her feet hooked behind his back and she kicked off her strappy black heels. His large hands grabbed her underneath her thighs, hoisting her higher on his hips as he walked towards the wall.

Her head fell back, neck exposed. He planted kisses all along the skin, sucking hard at the tender spot where her neck and shoulder met. She gasped and moaned under his touch, mewling like a kitten. When his mouth started travelling south, her hands became gentle again. She pulled his face to hers, kissing him.

When she said his name, my heart broke for the second time in my life.

"Not yet, Sho," were her words. "You have one more ring to put on my hand before we can go that far." She smiled and I watched Sho-my Sho-drop his head to her shoulder and groan. "Relax," she laughed. "We only have two weeks left. Then I will never stop you again."

She muttered something I couldn't quite make out and the woman's laughter echoed in the room. "It's not funny, Renee," he grumbled. He pressed one more lingering kiss to her shoulder. A little smirk tilted his lips when she moaned softly.

She unhooked her legs and slid down his body, planting her feet not even a yard from my entryway. When she was barefooted, I saw she only reached Sho's collarbone-and barely at that. It seemed the little boy who had helped me save my family had grown. He was tall now, taller than most of the humans I had seen in the past twelve years.

My family had moved me to a field six houses away. We lived there for two or three years before a vixen decided to make her den in our home. From there, Spiller guided us to a new home two cities over. The trip only took a couple days thanks to his knowledge of the stream and the humans who lived alongside it. My parents died eleven long, bright years later. Papa died of a heart attack and Mama passed a month after. Everyone in the small community agreed it was grief.

Spiller had made several offers to marry me, always bringing me gifts and teaching me everything he knew. But I never accepted any of his offers. He didn't give up for eight tedious years. Then, one day, a pretty little Borrower girl came into the village. Spiller was hooked from the first bat of her lashes.

I didn't mind. My torch still burned for Sho and I knew his would still burn for me. At least, I thought it would. I realized then it hadn't. I felt so utterly alone and lost.

I had always planned that once I was competent enough on the stream I would pole up it and find my way back to Sho's house. then, we would pick up right where we left off. Call it silly. Call it childish, but I had honestly imagined us living "happily ever after."

Now, though, I saw just how wrong I had been. Sho had obviously moved on and not kept any sort of torch alight for me. My face burned with shame. I was completely humiliated. How could I have thought there was anything more between us than friendship?

My eyes were drawn to his hand when he pulled something out of his pocket. He set it on the long, narrow table that sheltered my entryway. Music began to play in a foreign language. I couldn't understand what it was saying but Sho and the woman seemed to have no trouble.

Sho's hands moved over the woman's face, threading through her hair, tracing her eyes before brushing his thumb over her lips.

"Those lips look too good to be true," Sho said, leaning in for another kiss. "Once I taste that kiss, I know what'll happen. I'll be at the mercy of you." He kissed her again, stealing my breath and hers.

Tears formed in my eyes at the sweet words. Jealousy stirred in my chest and threatened to cut off my breathing altogether. Why? Why did it have to be this human woman that he said those words to?

"If you fall, I can let you down easy," she said. "If you leave your heart with me tonight, I promise you that I'm gonna treat it right." She smiled again, lacing her fingers with his.

"I'm barely hanging on." His words were whispered, a confession that was meant only for her. I dropped to my knees as they kissed once more.

"If you fall, I can let you down easy," she promised him. They stayed together for several more minutes, completely ignorant of the life at their feet.

"Come on," Sho finally said, stepping back just a little. "Let's go. We have an early flight back to America in the morning." He brought one of her hands up and kissed it gently. "Thank you for coming to meet my family."

She smiled softly, following his tugging. "Anything for the man I'm going to marry. It wasn't any trouble. You're moving back to Arizona with me. It was the least I could do to come meet your family." She traced patterns on his back as they walked. "It's a bit sad they won't be able to come for the wedding."

Sho nodded. "It's understandable, though. Aunt Sadako is too old to be flying and Haru refuses to leave her side." He chuckled. "She doesn't trust the nursing staff to properly take care of Sadako."

Sho had invited Haru to the wedding? But Haru was the one who had nearly destroyed my family!

"Oh!" The woman stopped and looked around the house. "You still never showed me where you played those imaginary games you always tell the school kids about. You know, the ones with the little people that steal things from normal people to furnish their little houses?" Sho gave her an odd look before recognition lit his eyes.

"Oh! The borrowers? Okay." He stopped and looked around. I felt like I was being strangled. My whole family and I had been left as only fragments of an imaginary game to him?

I wanted to scream, shout, curse him. I wanted to run out from under the table and scare the ignorant woman, to remind Sho that I was real.

I wanted…

I wanted…

But I couldn't move. I was locked into this position as Sho pointed out all his old "imagination spots."

"That's very descriptive, Sho. You ought to write a book," she giggled, still clinging to him.

"Nah." He shook his head. "Who'd want to read a book based off the imaginary games of a sick and lonely twelve year old boy?"

"I would!" She laughed as they started back towards the door. He picked up his phone and she grabbed her heels. Neither let go of the other's hand.

"C'mon, love," Sho said, scooping her into his arms effortlessly. "Let's go back to the hotel. Did you enjoy your day here?"

The woman squealed when he picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, feet kicked into the air. I covered my ears from the nose she made and wanted to close my eyes to the sight. But I couldn't.

"Sho! I can walk just fine on my own," she protested.

"I know." He grinned. "But I love to carry you. Now, tell me, did you enjoy your day?"

This wasn't right. She should be carrying me. He should be showing me all his old haunts, introducing me to his family. Not this interloper.

"Of course I did. I'm with you aren't I?" She smiled and I wanted to strangle her.

I saw Sho's hand on the doorknob. The late evening sun created a halo of light around him. If I was going to do anything, I needed to do it now.

I struggled to my feet and ran from under the table.

"Sho!" The woman and I said his name at the same time. All his attention was focused on her.

My legs burned as I ran with everything I had, trying to reach them.

"Oh, Sho! It's almost seven. We promised to meet Aunt Sadako for dinner at seven-thirty."

Sho grinned. "Don't worry. I know a couple short cuts. We'll be right on time." He opened the door and headed towards the sleek, silver car parked outside.

No! He couldn't leave yet. I hadn't said anything to him! I hadn't had my chance. He was my life!

"Sho!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. He had to hear me! He just had to.

He paused and seemed to listen for a minute. Yes! It worked.

"What's wrong? You spaced out for a second." She waved he hand in front of his face. "Earth to Sho!"

Sho blinked and seemed to shake himself off. He smiled down at the woman. "I'm fine. Just thinking. This place brings back a lot of memories."

"I'm sure it does. But this set of memories is getting hungry and I suggest we hit the road. Especially if we want to have any hope of being on time for dinner." She reached up and tugged a bit on his ear. "Mister I'm-always-late."

Sho laughed aloud and crossed the threshold.

No! No! it wasn't fair! I was almost there. Oh please, please, please hear this last call.

"Sho!" It was all the breath I had left in my body but I kept running anyway.

He was closing the door as I screamed. I didn't know if he heard me over the persistent squeal of the old hinges. I ran harder, digging deeper as I tried my best to get there in time.

The door closed fully just as I reached it. I couldn't stop soon enough and slammed into it. I slumped to the floor with a groan. My head spun as I dimly heard the locks turn far above me.

"No," I sobbed. "Please, please no. Please come back. Come back to me, Sho."

But he didn't.


	2. Let Me Down Easy, Alternate Ending

_Alternate ending..._

* * *

"Sho!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. He _had _to hear me! He just had to.

He paused and seemed to listen for a minute. Yes! It had worked.

"What's wrong? You looked spaced out there for a second." She waved her hand in front of his face. "Earth to Sho!"

He shook his head. "I thought I heard someone call my name."

He wasn't sure! Oh dear god, please hear this last one. "Sho! Down here!" Turn around! Look at your feet!

"Now I definitely heard something. Hang on a second." he started to set her down and I felt my shoulders sag in relief.

"Sho!" she protested. "We're going to be late for dinner. And I didn't hear anything." When both her feet were on the floor, she used Sho for balance and put her heels back on. I couldn't help but notice that she was nearly as tall as him with the shoes on.

He shook his head. "You wouldn't have heard anything. Your hearing isn't as sensitive as mine. And Aunt Sadako won't mind us being a few minutes late."

Thank goodness! He was actually going to look for the noise-for me. But I couldn't stop running. There was always the possibility that he wouldn't see me. I was almost there.

"A mouse!" I heard her scream. This probably wasn't going to end well. But I didn't care. I needed to get to Sho.

The woman back peddled but caught the edge of one heel on the threshold of the door. She gasped and stumbled backwards, reaching out for Sho.

He lunged forward and grabbed her arm. He pulled her close and held her right. "Renee, are you alright?"

She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just swear I saw a mouse." She looked over his shoulder. Her eyes widened when they landed on me.

"Oh my god," she breathed. "It's not a mouse. It's a person, Sho! Just like in your stories. But I thought you said they weren't true!"

Sho turned as he spoke. His voice was calm and smooth. "I never said that. Everyone just assumed they weren't. I never bothered to correct-" His words trailed off when he saw me.

"Arrietty?" His voice pitched higher. Obviously he wasn't expecting me.

I stopped where I was and smiled up at him. My legs quivered like jelly and I gratefully sank to my knees.

"Hi," my voice was rough and my throat was dry from breathing so hard. I wasn't entirely sure he heard me. But I didn't matter because he knew I was there.

"Sho? Who's Arrietty?" The woman stepped beside him. Her hand was almost possessive in the way she draped it across his arm.

"Arrietty is one of the Borrowers, Renee. She was actually the only one I really met. I saw her mother briefly. But only for a second." He chuckled and looked at her. He wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her close. "She was scared of me. Can you believe it? And this was back when I was about as tall as Sadako."

She laughed and the sound grated on my nerves. Sho's eyes turned soft as he watched her. He leaned in to kiss her and I coughed.

I gave the cough a good minute to go on before I stopped it. "Sorry, my throat is dry."

Sho pulled back from the woman's face. He turned his attention back to me. "I'm sure it is. That's a pretty long distance to you. How have you been, Arrietty? It's been a while."

"Twelve years," I said. "I've been good." I stood and took a couple steps towards him. "I missed you. I really, really missed you, Sho."

"I, uh." He paused awkwardly. "I don't know what to say."

I frowned a bit. Why hadn't he knelt down? Extended his hand? Picked me up? "Well, for starters you could say you missed me, too." I took another step towards him.

He took a half step back. My breath caught in my throat.

"Sho? What's wrong?" The woman frowned at me and stepped in front of Sho. "What is it saying?" She rested both her hands on his arms.

"Ah, she's saying she missed me." He didn't bother to correct the woman referring to me as an "it." My eyes stung.

"Oh, that's sweet." But her voice didn't seem happy. "Listen, Sho, we really need to go. It's already seven-o'-five."

He shook his head. "Yeah, you're right. Go ahead and start the car. I'll be out in a minute." He dug in his pocket and handed her his keys.

"Are you sure? Are you going to be fine?" She watched him carefully, her fingers lacing with his when she took the keys.

"Yeah, love, I'll be fine." He leaned in and kissed her. His free hand slid around her waist, down her back. His palm spread and cupped her rear, giving it a good squeeze.

She squealed into his kiss then laughed as she pulled away. "You dork." Her smile was bright and large. "I'll call Aunt Sadako and tell her we're going to be late."

"Sounds good. I won't be long." He watched her walk out of the door. My heart constricted at the look he gave her even when she wasn't watching.

"Sho? What's wrong? Didn't you miss me?" I asked. I feared what his answer would be.

His sigh was frustrated. "Yes, I missed you, Arrietty. You became a good friend to me that summer. But we were _just_ friends, Arrietty."

I frowned and shook my head. "But I love you, Sho! Don't you see?" The tears were flowing freely now. "I gave up everything for you. I gave up Spiller, my family, my village. Everything!"

"I never asked you to, Arrietty! I haven't seen you in _twelve_, almost thirteen, years." He sighed again and the corner of his left eye twitched.

"You have a twitch." It was the dumbest, most random thing I could have said.

"I've always had a twitch." His voice was suddenly sharp. "See? This is what I mean. We don't _know_ each other. Not really. And you don't love me, Arrietty." He waved his hand to cut me off when I started to speak. "Love comes from knowing everything about someone and accepting them anyway. Love is deep, abiding. It comes over time. I _liked_ you, Arrietty. I didn't-and still don't-know you well enough to love you."

I sobbed, my shoulder shaking. "But I _do_ love you! You don't get it because that human girl is clouding your mind!"

"Don't you say anything about Renee!" He yelled. I flinched. My hands flew to my ears. He sighed. His eye twitched again. "In Greek there are four different words for love. Each of them means something different. What I feel for Renee is _Ag__á__pe_. It's deep, true love. What I feel for Aunt Sadako and Haru is _Philia_. It's a dispassionate yet loyal love between family and friends. It's what I feel for you. I don't hold the _Ag__á__pe_ love for you. I never did."

"How can you consider Haru _family_? Put her on the same level as me? Don't you remember what she did to my family?"

"I do." His voice was calm again. "And it was my fault. I asked her once how she found your home. She told me she found one of the doll house pots on the stairs. Then she went into the room she thought I had come from. I had been careless and left the crowbar on the ground in front of the closet. She went to put it away and all the junk I had haphazardly thrown back in fell out. That's when she saw the trap door. She lifted it and saw the edge of the doll house kitchen I gave your mother."

I couldn't believe it. Sho, my Sho, had been the one that ultimately made Papa decide our home was no longer safe? It was all Sho's fault that Mother had been captured? That she had been scared witless? But it had only been an accident! "It wasn't your fault, though! You can't blame yourself."

"I don't. Look, I'm sorry, Arrietty, but I have to go. My fiancé is waiting and Aunt Sadako and Haru are as well." He frowned at me, still not coming to my level. "You can stay in the house if you want. There's a family moving in day after tomorrow. Aunt Sadako sold it since she is probably going to be in the nursing home for the rest of her life."

"But Sho!" I cried, running to him. He didn't take a step back but he didn't move at all when I latched myself to his ankle. "Take me with you! Please! I don't want to stay here without you. I love you!"

"No, Arrietty. You don't love me. You're obsessed with the _idea_ of me. It's not healthy, for either of us." He sighed and finally knelt down. His fingers wrapped around me.

I felt my heart leap. I thought he was finally going to hug me or kiss me or something despite his words. But he didn't he picked me up as gently as he could. It was rougher than I expected and my breath escaped me. He stood and I was suddenly far, far away from the ground.

"You need to go back to your village if you're not going to stay here." He never looked down at me. He never opened his hand to let me sit in his palm. My arms rested on top of his index finger while my legs dangled freely. "In fact, I really suggest you do. It's not good for you to stay in this house. You'll just end up depressing yourself."

He knelt by the table and I suddenly realized how grateful I was for the hardwood floor. His hand stretched to my open entryway and his fingers uncurled. I stumbled a bit but he pulled his hand away when I tried to use it for balance.

"Look, Arrietty, you need to go find yourself a nice Borrower man and marry him. Go have kids, have sex, have a _life_. I could never give you any of that." His brown eyes were worried and his brows furrowed.

"I won't care about that if I have you!" I cried. "Please, don't do this, Sho. Don't leave me!"

He shook his head and spoke as he stood. "I'm sorry, Arrietty. I can't be that to you. Even if I wasn't engaged to Renee, I couldn't be anything more than a friend to you. Goodbye, Arrietty." He turned and walked away.

"No! Sho! I'm sorry! Please, please take me with you. I don't want a Borrower. No one I could ever meet would compare to you." I sobbed, running to the end of the table.

"No, Arrietty. You'll change your mind eventually. You're still young. You'll get over this obsession and settle down and start a family. One day you'll thank me." My heart raced as he said these words but never turned around, never stopped.

He made it to the door before he turned and looked back at me. "Goodbye, Arrietty. Have a good life." He stepped outside and closed the door. The turning of the lock echoed loudly in the quiet room.

I dropped to my knees and sobbed, resting my head on the leg of the table. "Please, please come back to me."

But he didn't.

* * *

Fun fact? This "alternate ending" had 200 more words than the original story did! _hand spasm_ Oooowww!


	3. Pick Me Up Gently, Alternate Verse

Pick Me Up Gently—Alternate Verse

* * *

Arrietty woke to the sound of a rich, deep laughter reverberating up the stairs and into the room she shared with Ryan. The sound made her stomach do odd little flips and made her want to rub her knees together. There was just _something_ that was so familiar about it. But she couldn't figure out what. Feminine peals rang out very shortly after the man's—for it was so obviously a man's laughter—woke Arrietty from her sleep. She wondered just what was going on downstairs.

Climbing from the doll bed—which was actually a bit large for her—Arrietty pulled on her old borrowing dress and boots. She glanced out of the window that overlooked Ryan's sleeping form. A little smile tugged at her lips. She would let him sleep for now. All her father's old passages were still intact so she would be discreet in her little espionage trip.

Slipping into the hidden entry behind the light-switch, Arrietty made sure to securely replace the cut out before feeling her way through the passages. It was dark in the walls and she didn't have any handy lamp to guide her. Her fingers fumbled along a chain and she smiled. _Papa always had backups for his backups_, she thought. With a little tug, the chain lit a trail of lights that was just bright enough to take her to the next split in the passage.

She had to stand there for a minute, thinking about which way she needed to go. It had been nearly thirteen years since she had run these narrow alleyways without a second thought. The borrower eventually chose the left hand passage because it sloped downwards and she did need to go downstairs.

Arrietty pulled another chain when she was a Borrower-foot into the passage. This one shut off the lights in the passage she had left and lit up the one she was currently in. Again, this trail of lights was only long enough to get her to the next split. The nails that had been hammered into a stairwell took her down to the very bottom floor. Another pulled chain showed her the way.

However, she stopped and had to take a breath. The last time she had come down this passage was when she had come back searching for Sho. The young borrower found him alright. Just, not in the same condition she had left him in. For better or for worse, he had moved on. She needed to do so as well.

Her mind wandered to Ryan and she smiled at the thought of him. Something was definitely starting to grow in her when it came to him. What it was, she wasn't sure yet. She didn't know how to discern between friendship and love. The only love she had known was the torch she had burned for Sho all these years. And that had only turned out to be an obsession.

At least that was his excuse. Arrietty still thought about those words he had said to her. Is that what he had really meant? Or did he only say that because he was engaged and couldn't really talk to her as freely anymore? She wasn't sure and that thought still bugged her. She wanted to know. Part of the thirst for knowledge was instinctual to her race. The rest of it was the insecurities that plagued so many women—borrower and human.

But, she squared her shoulders and marched forward, she was determined to find out what was going on in the living room. Within just a minute, she was able to hear the low murmur of voices. There seemed to be two males and two females in the house. Two of the voices she knew had to be Ryan's parents. She couldn't place the other two, though.

As she neared the hidden door that would put her out underneath the long table in the living room she stopped again. Her whole body was shaking like a leaf. Something in her instincts was telling her not to go into the living room. It warned her that she may not like what she found.

She didn't listen, though, and slowly opened the panel. Her field of vision was limited until she was able to reach the end of the table and look out across the living room. What she saw when she reached it took her breath away.

Sho was back.

But he wasn't alone.

He and his fiancé were sitting on the couch across from who she assumed were Ryan's parents. The woman had her legs crossed at the knee, showing an expanse of sun-kissed leg up to her mid-thigh. Her pale blue shirt was tight fitting with a low-but-modest cut. Her hair was pulled up at the back of her head in a style that was vaguely reminiscent of Arrietty's hair all those years ago. It made Arrietty wonder what Sho had done with her hair clip.

Sho, though, Sho made her heart lurch in her chest. His hands were covering the woman's, fingers intertwined with hers. He smiled and laughed with Ryan's parents, eyes bright and smile sincere. He wore a simple black t-shirt and a pair of loose fitting dark wash jeans. Not only had he grown taller, but he had grown broader as well. His once-skinny arms were toned and well-defined. Arrietty could see the play of the muscles under the skin every time he moved.

She may have only been four inches tall, but she was still a woman. And a woman who was seeing the man she had loved for nearly thirteen years sitting right in front of her again.

"Sho," she squeaked out. Before she realized what she was doing, she had taken off running across the room, uncaring that she would easily be seen by all the humans. She only thought of Sho. This would be her second chance! Her opportunity to talk to him and find out everything he hadn't told her before.

Her heart hit her throat when Sho turned and saw her. She knew he saw her. Just like last time. His eyes widened and his words stopped mid-sentence. For some reason his eyes started scanning the room and he said something in the odd language the song he played two days ago had used to his fiancé.

She frowned and glanced to where he had gestured before her eyes widened, too. Arrietty couldn't tell what they were thinking. She didn't care. All she knew was that she had to talk to Sho. The borrower girl nearly came to tears when Sho stood up and nearly ran towards her. She was so happy!

Then, her breath was knocked from her when something flattened her to the ground. She gasped, pain spasming through her body. She turned her head to see what had grabbed her. She screamed when a huge dark grey cat—nothing at all like Niya—stared down at her with haunting yellow eyes. Its flicking tail registered in the corner of her vision. She cowered into a little ball when his mouth opened and his long canines were revealed. This was it. This was when she would die.

Suddenly, though, the weight of the cat's paw was gone and she was being scooped into a hand. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around one of the fingers and held on for dear life. Gravity pressed her into the human's palm as he stood. When everything was still, she dared to turn over and look at who had saved her.

_It was Sho_.

"You saved me…again." She smiled up at him even when he only frowned down at her. She looked around and registered that his fiancé—Renee if she remembered right—was holding the grey cat. It still watched her with those luminous yellow eyes, occasionally trying to escape the woman's hold.

"Arrietty," Sho said, snapping her attention back to him. "Why are you still here? I thought you would have gone back to your village." He stood in the middle of the room, not moving as he talked to her.

The young woman's heart lurched painfully at how his tone seemed to be just as indifferent as before.

Arrietty shook her head. "I never said I was going back! And you said I could stay here if I wanted." She paused and took a breath, sitting up in his hand. "Besides, I thought you were going back to America. Why are you still here?"

He arched a brow down her and was about to reply when his fiancé—who had set the cat down—stepped up beside him. Ryan's parents, not to be left out of something interesting in their own home, appeared beside Sho as well. With three sets of strange human eyes watching her, Arrietty suddenly felt very, very insignificant. Her breath hitched in her throat and her eyes widened.

Sho's frown deepened and he stepped back and walked to the couch, carefully sitting back down.

"What is it, Sho?" came the voice of Ryan's mother. She crossed the room to stand in front of him, looking down on the miniscule thing in his hand. "Why, it looks like a small person! Where on earth did that come from?"

Arrietty flinched at being referred to as a "that."

Sho sighed, running one hand through his hair. "_She_ is a human—more or less." He arched a brow when the little borrower in his palm frowned up at him with watery brown eyes. "She's a borrower. I guess they could be considered a subspecies of humans. I'm not too sure on how that kind of classification would work out."

"Oh," Ryan's mother said, still watching Arrietty with avid eyes. "That is interesting. But where do they live? I've never seen one before."

Renee settled beside Sho, resting one hand on his knee. "They aren't supposed to be seen. Right, Sho? He told me all about them after we had been dating for a while." She laughed lightly and smiled at her fiancé. "I thought he was telling children's stories until we visited a few days ago. Then this one here—Arrietty, right?"

Arrietty nodded, rather surprised that the woman had remembered her name and actually called her by it. _Perhaps she's not so bad after all_, the borrower girl thought.

"Anyway, Arrietty appeared out of nowhere when we were here. I freaked out! I mean, I thought she was a mouse the way she just she just showed up and started running towards us." She laughed again. "I tripped over the doorjamb and almost fell but, thankfully, Sho caught me before anything happened."

Ryan's mother smiled a bit, laughing along with Renee's words. Her eyes were still glued to Arrietty, despite her husband's seeming nonchalance with the entire situation. Sho frowned and brought up his free hand to shield Arrietty from the woman's sight.

Arrietty wilted in his hand, grateful to be out of such a scrutinizing gaze.

The lady of the house blushed when she realized she had been outright staring at the borrower. "Oh," she breathed. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean…I wasn't thinking. She must be so frightened. The dear."

Sho dipped his head, accepting the apology for Arrietty. "It's fine. She's just nervous right now. Give her a little breathing room and I'm sure she'll be just fine."

Arrietty couldn't help the way her heart soared with how protective Sho was suddenly being. Maybe he really did love her deep down, he just didn't know how to say it! She relaxed in his hand, marveling at how much room there was now. If she wanted, she could have stretched out like she was making a snow-angle and there would still be room left over. It was awe-inspiring.

When Ryan's mother had finally taken a seat next to her husband, Sho lifted his concealing hand and had to smile a little bit at the way Arrietty was so relaxed in his hand. He nudged his fiancé with his elbow and she smiled as well.

She mouthed something in the strange language to Sho who just laughed. Arrietty hated the feeling of being left out.

"So," Ryan's father began, restarting the conversation. "What is she doing here? I heard you say she was going back to her village?"

Sho shrugged his shoulder. "I'm not entirely sure. I mean, when I saw her last, I told her she could stay here since I knew that you would be moving in but that it was probably best for her to go back to her village."

Arrietty stood up in Sho's palm, arms akimbo. "Listen! I never said I was going to go back. In fact, I told you that I had nothing to go back to! Spiller married someone else. My parents are dead." She bit her lip and looked away when she blurted out that still-painful fact. "I have no home now. Don't you understand?" Her voice was soft and Ryan's parents looked between each other, trying to figure out just what she had said.

Sho sighed and ran his free hand through his hair. The twitch in his eye reappeared and Renee leaned over his arm and pressed a kiss to the little muscle spasm.

"Calm down," she murmured into his ear. "It's going to be fine. We'll figure this out. Remember just what you came here to do."

Her fiancé nodded. "Do you mind if I go out to the garden with her? I wouldn't really want to bring up all this in front of everyone."

Renee shook her head. "Not at all, Sho." She smiled. "I was the one who suggested it, remember? You can't be an ass to old friends then just walk away from them." Her smile turned towards Arrietty and she winked at the little borrower girl. "Make sure he treats you right and if he doesn't, let me know and I'll take care of him."

Arrietty eyed the woman with misgivings. She seemed nice enough, but she was still a stranger. When the woman's smile continued to linger, she simply nodded. "Alright. I will." She settled herself in his palm, making sure her dress covered her legs before grabbing Sho's thumb which had settled on her lap.

As Sho was walking out the door, Arrietty was reminded of just why she was staying in this house to begin with. Ryan came barreling down the stairs, shouting her name to the heavens. From what she could see of his face, Arrietty could tell he had obviously been very worried for a while. He had probably been looking for her upstairs, tapping walls and trying to get her to answer. She felt a little guilty forgetting about him.

Sho frowned at Ryan before looking down at her. "Arrietty, who is that?"

"Ah, that is Ryan. He is their son. He found me after you left." She played with the hem of her dress, nervous about what would happen between her heartthrob and her new friend.

"Hm." Sho's voice was noncommittal. He turned to keep walking into the garden, heading for the summer house out back. At the last minute, he changed his mind and stepped into the small gazebo next to the summer house. He dusted off a bench with his free hand, curling his fingers around Arrietty to make sure she was stable when he leaned over. He sat down and just watched her for a minute.

"Where to begin?" he murmured.

* * *

Ryan had been desperately searching for Arrietty after the first painful lurch in his chest. He was grateful for their new connection, but wished for it to be stronger so he could tell where she was and not just how she felt at the moment. The first thing he had done was check the dollhouse. He even had gone so far as to open it up despite the guilt of possibly invading Arrietty's privacy if she was only having a bad dream.

But when he found the entire dollhouse empty, he wasn't so concerned with the guilt than he was with finding just exactly where she had gone. He tapped the wall. No response. He searched under the bed. Empty. The window was still shut. He didn't want to go downstairs yelling her name because he could hear his parents talking with someone in the living room downstairs but he was getting desperate.

He paced his floor, hoping against hope she had just gone to get something from the walls and would be right back. But why wouldn't she wake him? Tell him what she was doing? She should know that he would be worried about her! After nearly twenty minutes of searching, he was knocked to his knees by the pain he felt rippling through his body.

It left him breathless and tears stung his eyes. He couldn't think of anything other than Arrietty and that she must be in trouble if she was hurting this bad. It took him several minutes to clear his mind of the pain and get back on his feet. Once he was standing and the room was no longer spinning, he was off, running down the hall, down the stairs and screaming Arrietty's name. If his parents found out about her, well, they were going to anyways. Now would just be sooner rather than later.

He stumbled on the last step when he saw the blue-haired man from two days ago with what could only be Arrietty in his hand headed outside. He grunted as he face-planted on the floor, skinning his chin and making his parents worried. He heard the door open and close and made it to his feet again, not the least bit concerned with his burning chin. All he could think about was the hope and guilt flooding his connection with the four inch tall girl he had fallen for at first sight.

As soon as he ran for the door, though, he had to skid to a stop when a strange young woman appeared between him and the door. She wasn't all that tall, maybe five feet and some-odd inches, but she had this hell-fire look on her face. Most of all, though, Ryan noticed she definitely wasn't Japanese.

"Don't you even think about disturbing them!" she said, fists planted on her hips as she glared up at him. "We missed our flight back because Sho felt guilty how he talked to Arrietty. They were good friends when they were kids and while we did have to get somewhere, his behavior was no excuse."

Ryan frowned at her. "So if you know about how he treated her then why are you letting them be alone? She's going to wind up depressed again after all I did to try and make her happy!"

Renee reached up and pinched his nose between her fingers as if he were a child. She literally dragged him to the couch amidst his mother's protests and pushed him into hit. "Did you not just hear what I said? I said Sho _felt guilty_. In any language I know of, that usually means someone is about to _apologize_ for something they did. You can talk to Arrietty later but let Sho have his word now in private."

Ryan started to stand but was pushed back into the chair. "Don't tempt me," the woman said, "I may be small but I can easily take you. I run cattle, train horses and do mixed martial arts. You wouldn't be any sort of issue."

He frowned and looked at his parents. They just shook their head. "Let him say what he wants to the little girl, darling," his mother said. "Then you can have her back."

"She's not a toy!" Ryan protested. "Don't talk about her like she is one! She's just as human as you and me. And she's not a _girl_. She's twenty-six years old. She's an adult."

"Exactly," the short brunette cut in once more. "She is an adult. Sho is an adult. Let them have a private, adult conversation."

"Who are you?" Ryan frowned up at her. "Why are you defending him so much?"

"My name is Renee and I am Sho's fiancé." She held up her hand where a sizable, marquis-cut diamond was placed on a simple white-gold band. "And I am defending him because I love him. Now stay there and be quiet until they get back."

Ryan scowled but did as told. At this point, his options were to either try to bulldoze past the young woman or sit and behave. He didn't want to fight the girl because he had always been told fighting a girl was wrong. And he didn't want his butt handed to him on a silver platter in front of his parents.

* * *

Okay, since a friend of mine on deviantart named Darkness-Shade made a continuation of my story "Let Me Down Easy" which he titled "Pick Me Up Gently" my mind got hold of his story and went "Oooh... _evil chuckle_ we can do this, and this and this and oooh, poor Arrietty..NOT! :)"

...

Yes, it literally did that. My mind is scary, y'know that? _sighs_

Anywho, this is me picking up where his most recent chapter left off. It's total AU to his "canon" haha and I don't think he will let it affect his story...but whatevs! Haha


	4. Pick Me Up Gently, Alternate Verse Ch 2

Pick Me Up Gently

Alternate Verse

Chapter 2

* * *

Sho sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Where to begin?" he murmured. He lowered the hand that held Arrietty to the railing of the gazebo. Once she had stepped off, he reclined against another railing. The young man kept her in his line of sight at all times but never quite looked at her.

The tense quiet left in the wake of his rhetorical question lasted several minutes. Finally, Sho cleared his throat and began to talk again.

"Listen, I'm sorry that I just left you there crying. But you have to see things from my point of view. I was never expecting to see you again and then when you started saying all those things," he paused and glanced at her from the corner of one eye, "all I could think about was getting out of the awkward situation."

"Wait a minute," Arrietty said, holding up one hand to stop his flow of words. "Are you saying all this is _my_ fault?" She was completely aghast at his words. How was any of this _her_ fault?

"No, that's not at all what I said!" Sho protested. "I just said you made the situation really awkward by saying you loved me."

"But I do love you!" she cried, taking a step towards him.

"Now look, don't keep saying that. We've already had that discussion. Let's not rehash it all over again." He frowned and looked away from her. "I came back to say I'm sorry for just leaving you like that. No matter the situation, it was uncalled for. You were and always will be a dear friend. But humans and borrowers can't be anything more than friends. It's physically impossible. There is so much that could go wrong in a relationship like that it's too dangerous to try."

"That's not true!" Arrietty said, stomping one foot as tears of frustration pooled in her eyes. "Ryan says that there is always a way if you look hard enough!"

Sho scoffed."Arrietty, that may be true in many, if not most, instances but not in this case. You talked about the borrowers living on as long as they had each other. But think, Arrietty, if borrowers started loving and 'marrying' humans, wouldn't the borrowers disappear within just a few generations? Think of that, Arrietty. You could be friends with all the humans you want, but anything more is nearly impossible."

Arrietty just stared blankly ahead with tears running down her face. Her heart felt like it was breaking all over again with the reality of Sho's words. It was true, she couldn't really have a life living with and loving a human. Borrowers were independent. They took care of themselves. A lot of their things came from humans, but borrowers never accepted handouts.

The young woman wasn't really aware of Sho gently scooping her into his hands and bringing her close. She only realized what was happening when he pressed one simple, quick kiss to the side of her face.

"I didn't mean to make you cry again," he murmured as he pulled her away. "But it seems I always make you cry anyway, don't I?" His chuckle was quiet with little mirth. He leaned back against the banister and cradled Arrietty close to his chest as she continued to shake.

It was close to another hour before Sho spoke again. "Arrietty, just know that I still think you're beautiful. Any borrower man would be lucky to have you. If they think otherwise, they're a moron." He smiled when she gave a watery laugh. "And you can tell them I said that."

Arrietty stood up when Sho pulled his hand back. She scrubbed the tears from her face and gave a little smile. The sun at her back cast Sho in a flattering natural light. But it also caught and sharply reflected off something metallic around his neck. She frowned in curiosity before looking back up at her long-time friend.

"Sho? What's that around your neck?" She could have sworn Sho blushed just a bit before reaching his free hand to fiddle with what she could now see was a chain.

"Oh, this?" he chuckled and lifted the chain. "It's just something an old friend gave me a long time ago."

Arrietty watched, riveted to her spot as the bottom of the chain came into view. Her eyes nearly double in size when—there at the end of his necklace—was the simple hairclip she had given him all those years ago.

"Sho," she gasped, awestruck that he had kept the hairclip. "Did you really keep it all these years?"

He nodded. "I did. I told you that I wouldn't forget you, didn't I? Well, I meant it. You were my first friend and you'll never really know how much I appreciate you." He gently rubbed her back with one of his thumbs. "I hate to bring this up, but Renee and I can't stay too late. We're meeting with Aunt Sadako's attorney and our own attorney for dinner this evening. Then, hopefully, we'll be able to get a flight back to America tomorrow. Is there anything I can do for you before I leave?"

Arrietty sighed and settled down in his hands while she thought. She thought about all Sho had said and all he had done. She thought about the truth behind his words and where her own heart was. She thought about Ryan and how incredibly kind and understand he had been. Finally, she reached a decision.

"Yes, would you please take me back to my village? I think it's best if I don't stay here too much longer." She watched him carefully, wanting to see what his reaction would be.

"Sure, Arrietty, I can take you back to your village." He smiled softly down at her and gently ruffled her hair. "Anything else?"

She grabbed his fingers, holding them close just like she had when they said goodbye the first time. "Don't forget me. Please?" She pressed her forehead to the pad of his pointer finger.

"Oh, Arrietty, I would never forget you. I promise," he said, running his fingers down her back.

"Really? Then will you meet me back here?" She begged him with her eyes and her voice. Her hands still gripped his finger as she locked gazes with him. Sho frowned just and Arrietty rushed to speak before he could. "Just as friends! I swear. Only as friends. Friends are allowed to meet again and catch up, aren't they?"

Sho smiled at that. "Yes, they are. But let's not meet here, okay? There's too many memories here. Let's meet outside your village. Plus, I don't want you travelling this far by yourself."

Arrietty huffed. "I can take care of myself you know."

Sho laughed. "Oh I know perfectly well that you can take care of yourself but I also know the dangers of living in a human world. You have to realize how lucky you go rafting all the way up here without any real camouflage or cover. So please, let me meet you at your village?"

The young woman smiled and relented. "Okay. I'll tell my village not to be scared. I'm sure if both Spiller and I reassure them, we won't have to move."

A noise from inside the house drew the pair's attention to the French doors as they flew open and Ryan came barreling out with Renee hot on his heels.

* * *

There's only a couple chapters left in this deviation... ;)


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